Some critical and exegetical considerations on the relation between faith and reason that can be drawn from Kierkegaard’s characterisation of the Knights of Faith Abraham and Mary in Fear and Trembling

• Published in: Forum philosophicum (Kraków, Poland) Vol. 30; no. 1
• Main Author: Grech, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 25.06.2025
• ISSN: 1426-1898; 2353-7043
• DOI: 10.35765/forphil.2025.3001.11

Kierkegaard refers to the figure of Knight of Faith to sustain a definite picture of the relation between faith and reason, to argue that faith cannot be rationally buttressed or justified. In Fear and Trembling, he identifies Abraham and the Virgin Mary as Knights of Faith. The paper: (1) Illustrates the notion of the Knight of Faith focusing on Abraham, the Knight of Faith par excellence; (2) Considers two paradoxes the sacrificial binding of Isaac in Genesis may involve; one involving inconsistency between God’s command and moral standards, and a contradiction between God’s command and a blessing Abraham was offered; arguing that there is no ground to assert that Abraham would have been aware of the former; (3) Claims that Mary ought to be characterised as a Knight of Faith in light of a paradox involving a blessing she was promised, and certain concrete situations and events. The paper refers to historico-exegetical scholarly work to argue that, contrary to what Kierkegaard claims, when considering the attitude of these two figures when facing these paradoxes, one cannot sustain any picture regarding the relation between faith and reason.